


Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me

by qaelo



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Romantic Comedy, Smut, Summer Vacation, only slightly Izumi/Reader if you squint, slightly OOC, the Gaang’s kids are young
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26905537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qaelo/pseuds/qaelo
Summary: Lin tries to win over the stubborn young waitress that works at their local diner, with the support of her friends.
Relationships: Izumi (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s), Lin Beifong/Original Female Character(s), Lin Beifong/Reader
Comments: 23
Kudos: 155





	1. Honeypie

**Author's Note:**

> This is just something I wrote really quickly, so obviously their characters aren’t too fleshed out. I just wanted more Lin content and the gaang’s kids being idiots. I’m still deciding on whether or not I should turn this into a 3-4 chapter thing.

“Go already Lin, I’m not getting any younger out here.” Kya pushed Lin gently towards the diner you worked at. Through the large windows that wrapped around the building, they could all see you taking the order of a man at one of the booths. 

“W-What if-“

“No what ifs!” Tenzin interrupts with his arms crossed, already fed up with the feud between you two. There was an unbridled attraction. For once, Lin had met someone who was even more stubborn than her. It had taken her months to come to terms with her feelings after confusing her romantic feelings for some sick desire to have the unattainable. “March in there and don’t take no for an answer.” 

“Hey trust me, I’ve seen what her ‘No’ looks like. Unless you leave that place with a black eye, we don’t want it.” Bumi was leaning against the hood of their satomobile, shuffling his feet back and forth on the asphalt in anticipation. Izumi was right next to him with the same tired look of disdain across her features, but she was just as excited as her friends. They wanted to finally see the impossible Lin Beifong get her first rejection if not her first real girlfriend. Well, real girlfriend that they approved of. 

“Go get her, badgermole!” Kya called after her with a whoop and laughed as she glared at her group of friends over her shoulder. She let out a shaky breath and pushed open the door, the ring immediately alerting the young waitress who looked up with a cheerful smile. Upon seeing Lin, your lips quirked into something of a pout as you quickly tried to ignore her. 

Admittedly, this wouldn’t be the first time Lin and her friends had tried to win over your stubborn heart. As a friend, they had succeeded, however as soon as Bumi and Kya had not-so-accidentally outed her sprouting feelings for you, you turned her away. You got the wrong idea really, believing that Lin was playing some cruel prank on her. After all their bickering, how could Lin of all people possibly be interested in her? She was probably just dared by that idiot Bumi, that must have been why he was making such a big show of it right? 

You scribbled down the old man’s order onto your notepad and shuffled behind the counter, latching it shut before Lin could follow you. You reached behind the kitchen window and stuck the sticky note onto the chef’s slow list of orders. It was always emptier on Friday mornings after 12, it was the sweet spot for Lin and her friends. Just an hour before workers came in for their lunch break, and just after the last of parents and their children came in for breakfast. The diner lent itself to people their age who lounged around their summer break and the regular old customers who sat with their cups of joe refilled several times over. 

Your only connection to the group of friends was Izumi, who introduced you to them when they first came in. You came from a well of family who had ties with Izumi’s, though unlike Uncle Zuko, your parents were much stricter on being humble and learning from struggle. As soon as summer break began, they ordered you to try your hand at getting a summer job. What better place then the diner? The uniform wasn’t too bad, the pay was decent (for someone her age at least...) and the cool walls kept her safe from the scorching heat outside. 

“Good morning Lin,” You said without looking up at her, ignoring the bouquet of flowers in her hands. They were a pretty assortment of pink, purple and white, though you couldn’t name any of the individual flowers in the bunch. You feigned a friendly smile. “the usual?”

“I... uh—“ She held up the bouquet of flowers in her hands, presenting them to you. You looked down at them before biting back an amused smile. You had never seen Lin look so nervous. Her advances had been subtle if not foolishly mocking till now. This was bold. 

“Those are lovely. Who are they for?” You pulled the pen from behind your ear and drew slow scribbles onto your notepad to distract yourself in some way. You didn’t trust yourself to not do or say something embarrassing or give in too quickly. She scowled, a blush creeping up her neck and tickling the tips of her ears. Or maybe it was sunburn.

“You. A date?” She sputtered before cursing under her breath and quickly composing herself. From behind her, you just notice the rest of the idiots sneaking into the diner and slipping into the nearest empty booth. Kya shoved at Bumi who tried to put his feet up on the table before you could even try to scold him, and Tenzin quickly shushed them. “I-I mean would you... like to go out with me?”

Your brows twitched into their furrowed position at the question. You were expecting something like this yet you still couldn’t prepare yourself in any way. “I’m working late tonight. Sorry.” 

“She gets off at 4.” A voice echoed from inside the kitchen. Your boss, the owner, the chef and a traitor. You reactively slammed the notepad and pen down with a huff. Lin felt her confidence bubbling within her. Maybe her friends were right, you were interested in her, but oh too stubborn to ever admit. She wanted to know why. She wanted to know everything about you. Over dinner! Or a nice walk at the beach. That was what normal couples did right?

“So... 4?” 

“I’m busy.” 

“Come on, we both know you’re free tonight.” Lin leaned against the counter as you picked up a fresh dish cloth to wipe down the tables with. As you exited from behind the counters, Lin tailed you like a lost puppy, holding the flowers in her hands delicately. Katara had helped pick them out. 

“Lin I’m not interested in amusing you for the night just so you can make a fool of me tomorrow.” Truthfully, your first few impressions of her were anything but positive. It just so happened that you had met on the day Suyin and her had gotten into a fight and she was feeling extra snippy that day. That had also been the day you had first started, your very first shift. You remembered the first thing she said. 

———

“What’s with the uniform? Are we at a gentleman’s bar or are we here to get grub.” Lin snorted as she looked you up and down, stunned when her eyes landed on your pretty face. You wore barely any makeup, not wanting it to cake up in the early summer heat. Some mascara and liner went a long way to make you stand out anywhere. You had never been just a simple looking girl, even hiding behind your parents and siblings at any family function. Your friendly smile faltered before you made eye contact with Izumi.

“Hey ‘zumi!” 

“Wait you know her—?” Lin looked at Izumi with wide eyes, realising her first mistake. 

“Good morning, you’re looking lovely in that skirt.” Izumi complimented and you chuckled and tucked a bit of hair behind your ear. Izumi introduced you on a first name basis to the table as Lin sunk in her chair. 

“Trying to make a good impression. You look great too, you all do.” She turned to look at the rest of them as they greeted themselves. Saving herself for last, Lin grunted and introduced herself curtly, still picking at her nails from the embarrassment earlier. 

“Well at least most of you do, what’s with the wife beater?” You poked your pen in the direction of Lin’s white tank top. Her face turned red as she glared up at you. Alright, she deserved that. Bumi howled with laughter as Kya tried to hide her laugh behind her hand. Tenzin and Izumi exchanged worried glances before looking back at you. “Well, I’m glad to meet you all. Any friend of Izumi is a friend of mine. I’ll be right back with the menus!” 

———

“What! I wouldn’t!” Lin’s eyes widened at the absurd idea, far from anything she had in mind. It struck her that any previous attempts at flirting had been playful banter. What if you hadn’t gotten the right idea? 

“I’m just having a hard time believing you’re being sincere.” You scoffed and leaned over to wipe down a table that was previously made vacant, your white skirt hitching up your thighs as you bent over to reach the far ends of the table. Lin’s gaze shifted down to the exposed skin, to the slight tan that marked the skin on your upper thigh just shy of your butt. It was getting uncomfortably hot in here. 

She quickly looked at her friends who sat at the table leaning over each other to watch the scene. They gave her encouraging thumbs up before Tenzin mouthed something; “Show her.” 

Lin sucked in a breath and puffed out her chest, mustering up as much courage as she could. When you heard her shoes squeaking on the floor, you stood straight and whipped around. Your jaw felt as if it could come unhinged from the way it dropped. Lin hoisted herself onto the counter, careful of the bouquet in her hands.

“L-Lin!” You quickly followed her, your hands coming out to grip the edge of the counter in shock. You should probably tackle her right? Before boss sees and gets you fired or something? 

Lin could feel her heart hammering in her chest, hear it thrumming in her ears as everyone in the diner turned to look at the commotion. She once heard Suyin complaining about her frigidness, advising her that summer was the time for making crazy memories with friends and to make yourself new. This was fucking new alright. She had never done something so rash and bold before. She stood on top of the counter, her head almost brushing against the light that hung from the ceiling. She cleared her throat. 

“I’d really, really like to take you out to the Summer’s Festival tonight. Please go out with me!” She said in the boldest voice, her question came out in a demanding tone similar to that of her mother, Chief Toph Beifong. Your hand reached up to clamp over your mouth as you could no longer hold back your grin of amusement. Such a direct question. You were finally satisfied. You figured this had been a way for you to punish her for all the arguing you had to put up with up till this point. You needed to hear her say that she really did want you. 

“Yes! Alright, I’ll go with you just get down-“ You reached up and offered her a hand to help her down. As soon as you finished, Bumi shot out of his seat with a whoop and you heard the old man sipping coffee and reading his daily newspaper yell out a ‘finally!’. Lin grinned and sighed out in relief. 

Finally indeed.


	2. Hey Casanova

“Be safe out there. If that girl tries anything, I’m taking it up with the Chief.” Boss mutters and pats off the dust on his apron as you clock out. You smile and assure him that you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, especially against one Lin Beifong. 

You pick up your bag and leave through the back door, circling around the building to catch public transport home. You had some time before Lin would come to pick you up tonight and you planned on spending that time getting ready. Instead, you catch Kya and Izumi waiting in their parked car. 

“You two are still here?” You asked as you approached their convertible, smiling as you folded your arms over your chest and used it as support as you leaned on the door to talk to them. 

“We’re gonna help you get home on time so you’ve got more time to get ready.” Izumi smiled up at you, she sat in the drivers seat of the car with Kya in the passenger seat. 

“And where’re Lin and the boys?” 

“They’re... also getting ready. Get in.” You grinned and hopped into the back seat, freeing your hair from the messy up-do you had tossed it into for your shift.

Back at the Beifong’s apartment, Toph Beifong had just arrived home and was serving up take out to the two boys. Tenzin trying his best to be polite and help the older woman in the kitchen. Lin came out of her room in faded brown trousers and a loose white button-up that cuffed itself around her elbows over a white shirt. She glared at the sight of Bumi playing board games on the floor of the living room with Suyin. 

“What are you two still doing here?” She grumbled.

“Chill out Lin, Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara are out on date night or whatever.” Suyin looked up from the board and grinned at her. “Someone’s all dressed up.” 

“So, what’s their name?” Toph asked as she exited the kitchen with Tenzin in tow, balancing the food in his arms.

“You told her?” She groaned and rolled her eyes. Tenzin shot her an apologetic smile as he sat on the couch, sliding Bumi and Suyin their food. 

“Sorry...”

“Not that it matters. I’m just curious.” Toph continued. Though she tried to appear dismissive about it, she was happy that her oldest daughter was spending her summer doing something other than helping out at the station or wasting her time at the gym. 

Lin sighed and told her your name, leaving out how exactly you two had met. She was a little surprised to hear that of all people, Lin had taken interest in the daughter of one of the city’s most influential families. She supposed she was pretty from what she’d heard of you. Her mother nodded and pulled the keys to their car out of the back pocket of her work trousers, tossing them to Lin who caught them effortlessly with a shocked look. 

“Really...?” Lin was only ever allowed to drive when Toph needed to get across the city, or to get her and Suyin to and from school. But other than that, Toph always kept the keys from her and was strict about letting Lin take it out. Only because Lin had insisted on her keeping them. What 18 year old didn’t want free say over when they got to use a car? 

“Yeah— just don’t scratch it or it’s your ass.” Toph sipped on her drink. 

Lin smiled and nodded before slipping her shoes on and leaving the apartment. The four of them ate in silence for a moment before Suyin whined out.

“Why doesn’t Lin get a curfew!?” 

Lin drove past the gate of the estate and parked at the steps that lead up to the door. She shut the door and rubbed her closed fist with her other hand anxiously. She quickly checked her appearance in her reflection, the sun had already set just moments ago and the temperature had dropped by a few degrees. Just enough to walk outside comfortably without a jacket. She pushed her bangs to the side and hoped it stayed to the neatly before a voice from above caught her attention.

“Hey Casanova.” The voice teased with a whisper, and she squinted up to find the source of the voice. In one of the upper windows, you were leaning out the window. Before she could open her mouth, she quickly placed a finger over her lips and shushed her. “My mum is having dinner, she doesn’t like a lot of noise after dark.” 

She smiled softly before nodding and pointing at the front door, making a knocking motion as if to ask whether or not she should make her presence known to her parents. 

You nodded and turned to disappear into the soft light coming from the window before stopping. “Don’t get intimidated, she means well.” You warn before quickly disappearing.

Lin’s heart jumped as she bound up the stairs and knocked on the door, only to hear heavy footsteps and a grumbling voice. The door swung open to reveal a tall woman draped in a long red robe, her nose turned upwards at the sight of Lin. 

“Good evening Ma’am. Im Lin Beifong-“

“I know who you are. Your mother’s a very admirable woman.” She said simply and looked down at her with a scowl, the silence between them became way too uncomfortable. Lin cleared her throat at the silence and tried to talk again.

“I-Im here to take your daughter to the Summer Festival.”

“I also know that.” The lean woman looked over her shoulder at the sleek black car parked in her driveway and raised a brow. “Do you drink?” 

“Mother, stop scaring her.” You jogged down the stairs as fast as you could and slid in between the half open door and her mum to push the door open, letting Lin see into the lavish interior. 

“I’m just checking to see if she’s trouble, hun.” The woman mumbled sheepishly, as if embarrassed to be caught by her own daughter. You smiled and squeezed your mum’s arm before leaving the doorway. 

“Have her home by 11:30.” She grumbled before slamming the door shut, leaving the two of you on the porch. You looked up at her before trying to stifle a laugh. Lin smiled down at you, taking in your appearance. You wore a white sundress that reached to your mid thighs and a pair of white trainers, shoelaces tucked into the sides of the shoes instead of tied up. Slung over your right arm was a white purse. 

“Spirits... I thought she was gonna snatch me up and throw me in your basement.” Lin lets out a breath of relief and lets her shoulders sag before leading you to her car. Before she could open your door for you, your hand shot out and grabbed the door handle. 

“How gentlemanly, but I’ve got it.” 

Lin rolled her eyes but put her hands up in defence, walking around to her side and sliding into the drivers seat. 

“So where exactly is this Festival?” You asked, setting your purse down on your lap. The engine roared to life as Lin turned the key, pulling the car out of the driveway. 

“You’ve never been? It’s out at the Republic City docks. They set up shops and little carnival games for the kids, it’s right next to the beach too...” Your eyes nearly twinkled at the sound of ‘carnival games’. Lin caught the excited look in your eyes but decided not to comment. She had been to the festival every year with either Suyin and her mum, or her friends if her family was too busy. These past few years, Toph found herself too busy with her duties to come by and Suyin would rather be with her friends. 

They parked alongside the other cars that filled the lots and lined up and down streets. They walked alongside each other as they made their way to the more packed area of the festival, lit up with bright lights and filled with the sound of merry chimes and people going about. Lin had trouble thinking of something to talk about, it occurred to her once again that Lin didn’t know too much about you. Just that being beside you was enough to excite her. Looking at you, she thought that she didn’t need to force herself to think of something to say. You were too preoccupied taking in the sight of everything around you. 

“Look! Can we?” You reached out and pulled at her sleeve, Lin’s cheeks burned red at the contact before she squinted at wha you pointed at. A pop up stall with a ring toss game. A bearded man stood in front of the stall picking at his tooth with a chewed on tooth pick, pointing up at the wall of plush toys as if he had been doing so for hours. 

“Isn’t that for kids?” She crossed her arms and you rolled your eyes, leaving her side stubbornly. She was forced to follow you as you approach the man and reached into your purse for a few yuans. Lin quickly pulled out a bill and placed it on the man’s counter, he grinned and gave them each 5 rings.

“You’re just scared I’m gonna beat you.” She taunted lightly before throwing the first ring. It knocks the edge of one of the bottles and falls of the side, making Lin scoff. 

“Yeah, right. We’ll see about that.” 

Lin loses. As you predicted. 

She sulks to herself at the corner of the stall with her arms crossed as you leaned over the counter to peer at the wall of plush toys. You point up at the cartoonish badgermole with a frown on its face and the man takes it down, handing it to you. You bound over to Lin and show her the toy. “It looks just like you.” 

“What! No it doesn’t.” 

“Yes it does.” You concluded and walk ahead of her, excited to look at the rest of what the festival had to offer. The moon was visible in the sky, though it was harder to see the stars from all the city’s light pollution. 

“Then you look like that!” She pointed at a stall that sold Bison puffs, egg puffs that was decorated to look like the face of the air bisons. 

“So what? That’s cute.” You huffed. 

“Oh well never mind then. Guess it doesn’t look like you much at all.” The two of you argued as you walked in between the lined up stalls. 

“You’re such a jerk.” 

“So what? It’s cute.” She mocked in the same tone you had used earlier. Fighting with you had always been a little fun, but Lin knew that sometimes she took things a little too far. You held the plush toy in your arms tightly and tore your gaze from her, glaring down at your shoes. The arguing between you ceased as you walked. 

Ah crap... maybe I should apologise. This isn’t going well. She thought to herself and scratched the back of her neck. She looked up when you called for her attention, among the sea of people and heading in your direction was Tenzin and the others. They hadn’t noticed you yet, but they would soon. 

“We should go say hi— hey!” You gasped as Lin took your hand and pulled you into a photo booth, quickly pulling the curtain shut. “What was that for?” 

“I don’t want them to interrupt us.” She took note of the way the two of you barely fit into the small bench within the booth, your thighs almost touched. You were almost sitting on her lap. She tried to shimmy away from you but her shoulder brushes into the other side of the booth’s curtains, nearly falling out of the booth altogether. 

“Well since we’re here, we might as well take photos...” You smiled and pressed a few buttons on the machine. 

She blushed as the countdown of the first photo came up. You give a small smile and press your thighs together, sitting up straight. You had only ever taken formal photos with your family and was used to being told to sit up straight, feet and thighs together, hands placed one over the other on top of your knees. Lin nearly laughs at your pose, and the first photo catches your picture perfect smile and the beginnings of her smirk. 

Immediately after the flash, Lin wraps an arm around your shoulders and reaches up to squeeze your cheeks with her hand gently. You try to smile with her squishing your cheeks together but it only makes your cheeks puff up. 

“You don’t have to be so prim and proper, you princess.” She teases as the countdown starts. 3... 2... she leans down so your cheeks were level, and flashes a small smile at the lens. The camera flashes again and you let your shoulders relax. 

“I knew that-“ You slap her hand off of your face gently and she finally laughs. Its soft and makes your stomach twist into knots. 

“Did you? You look like you’re getting a mugshot taken. Did my mum teach you to pose like that?” She pokes fun at you and you turn your head to glare up at her. Her hand reaches up and rests on the top of your head, ruffling your hair gently as she chuckles. Maybe Lin was okay with you calling her a jerk if she got to see you like this more often. Annoyed, but definitely not angry. Your cheeks flushed red whenever she poked fun. Before you knew it, the camera flashes once again and you huff. You weren’t even prepared for it! 

“Now look what you’ve done, we missed a shot.” 

“We have one more? What do you think we should do then?” She asks. You try to think of something quickly, soon the timer would begin, the reel was already pulling back as it prepared for the next shot. 3... you place a hand gently on the other side of her face. 2.... Lin’s eyes widen slightly as you lean forward. 1... you press your lips to her cheek as the camera flashes. 

You pull away as soon as the photos are taken and pull back the curtain, hopping out of the booth. Lin is left stunned, blinking as she tries to gather herself. She feels as though she’s short circuited. After a second or two, she pulls herself out and joins you as you reach for the printed photos. Only one strip comes out and you frown in disappointment. 

“Just one! That’s a rip off.” 

“It’s a cheap machine, we should’ve expected this.” Lin leans down close to look at the photos, her breath ghosts across the shell of your ear. You clear your throat and pull away.

“No matter, we’ll split it in half.” You fold it gently down the middle and rip it neatly into two. You hold the two halves up, only showing her the white backsides of the photos. “Pick one.”

She pulls one out and reveals it to herself, seeing she got the second half. The one of her ruffling your hair and you kissing your cheek. She smiled slightly and pocketed the picture before looking around for her friends. She spots Tenzin’s arrowed bald head towering over the crowd, down the other end of the festival where they came from and sighs in relief.

“Why are you so worried? You know Tenzin and Izumi would never let them impose.” You slide the picture into your purse and clasp it shut before sliding the strap up over your shoulder again. 

“You’re not embarrassed are you? I mean, after that stunt you pulled today-“

“Don’t talk about that.” Lin quickly says and reaches up to massage the bridge of her nose. That was her friends idea, she was surprised it even worked. 

“It was the last thing I expected from you.” You giggle.

“Yeah? Well maybe if you weren’t playing so hard to get I wouldn’t have had to. What else was I supposed to do?” She shot back and immediately regretted getting so defensive. You squeeze the badgermole and turned on your heels, walking away. 

She looked down to her wristwatch to check the time, 9:20. It wouldn’t be good to end the date sourly. She sighed and followed you, staying a step behind, she couldn’t even begin to guess what you were thinking. 

“Are you mad?” She asked bluntly and you scoff. 

“No. I just think it’s funny. You haven’t seen hard to get.” You say and turn your head slightly to look at her through your lashes over your shoulder. Her brow quirks upwards, causing her to stop in her tracks for a moment. Was that you flirting...? She shakes her head and quickly begins to unbutton her white over shirt. She tugs it off of her sleeves and jogs to catch up with you, gently laying it over your shoulders. She’s seen Tenzin do it to Pema once or twice when it gets cold, and she seemed to enjoy it every single time. 

You tug the shirt tighter around you. Its thin and barely offers protection from the soft breeze, but it smells overwhelmingly of Lin. 

The two of you slowly make your way around the other half of the festival. You two share a large cloud of fairy floss and play a number of games much to Lin’s dismay. You begin to walk down to her car and make it back by 10:50. By then, many of the cars had gone off and the lot was only half full. 

“Thank you.” You mumbled and smiled, Lin turns around and leans against the hood of her car with a grin.

“What was that?”

“Thank you, you jerk.” You roll your eyes but smile. She reaches up and tugs you by the fabric of the shirt draped over you, pulling you in between her legs. 

“I might be going deaf from all that carnival music. One more time?” You almost stumble from the pull, but stabilise yourself by placing your hands on her shoulders. 

“You think you’re so funny huh?” 

She leaned up and pressed her lips to yours gently. You hum at the sweet taste of cotton candy that lingered on both your lips and swipe your tongue over her bottom lip, chasing the taste of her. Her lips part, your tongues dancing against each other gently till you were forced to pull away for breath. 

“I should get you home. Before your mum puts me in a body bag—“ She whispers against your lips and you nod, trying not to break your resolve and dip forward for more. 

The drive back was quiet, Lin brings down the windows and occasionally glances at you watching the city lights. When she pulls up, the gravel crackles beneath the tires of her car. You toy with the strap of your purse and smile at her. 

“Seriously, thank you. It was fun.” 

“Yeah, it was fun... I guess.” She nodded. Before she can even try to give you a hug or even a peck on the cheek, the front door opens and the same terrifying woman appears at the front door. 

You thank her quickly again before exiting the car and rushing up the stairs. Your mother gives Lin a dismissing nod before shutting the door behind the two of you. 

Lin leans her head against the wheel and tries to suppress the wide grin that threatens to show. She drives back to her apartment and find Kya and the others lounging around Izumi’s convertible. When she parks in Toph’s space and gets out, she approaches them with a small smile.

“Holy shit, Lin’s smiling...!” Bumi was the first to speak from his spot in the back seat. 

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Lin toys with the keys in her hands. 

“Uhhh, obviously we’re here to know how it went.” Kya grinned and hopped off from the hood of the car, only egging her on when Lin’s cheeks turn red. 

“Is that a lipstick stain on your cheek?” Izumi deadpans and tries to squint to see the mark. Lin quickly reaches up and rubs it off her cheek. “Got you-“

Bumi whoops and runs forward to lock his arm around Lin’s neck, pulling her towards the rest of the group. “Hell yeah! Who knew you could pull?” 

“Oi! Stop making so much noise. And Lin, fill up the tank tomorrow morning.” Toph grumbled from the balcony above, pointing down at nothing in particular. 

“Sorry!” Kya called up at her and they watched as she slammed the balcony door shut. They tried to stay quiet, but laughed over how Lin was so flustered. 

“Alright, you don’t have to delve into the details, but it went well? Gonna be a second date?” Tenzin smiled hopefully.

“We’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Which photo do you guys think would have been the cutest? I’m thinking either the one of Lin ruffling her hair or the one of her pinching her cheeks. Anyways I’ve decided I want to write more.


	3. Cold Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we all love cheesy teen romance cliches. this is unedited and completed at 11:52 AM...................... um anyways excuse any mistakes, i’ll try to go over it tomorrow morning and edit. but enjoy!

"How long do you think those two are going to last?" Izumi asks on her way to drop the three siblings off at the docks so they could catch the last ferry back to air temple island. They could have just stayed at the festival for convenience, but Bumi and Kya couldn't pass up on the opportunity to see Lin off for the night.

"They're great! I think the girl's got spunk." Bumi leaned in between the two front seats to talk. "Lin seems to like her a lot."

"Not that it's our place to say, but as long as they keep up good communication, things should be smooth." Tenzin chimes in, speaking over the sound of the wind.

"You think just cause you've got Pema you're some love guru." Kya snickers.

"Okay then, since you're so experienced. What do you think?" Tenzin shoots back and she turns her body around in her seat to argue with him.

"I think it's too early to tell! They're cute though. And what, are you insinuating I don't have experience?"

"He's got a point we've never seen you bring any guys around." Bumi nods and Kya's face turns a deep shade of red that matched the wine of Izumi's coat. Izumi spares a concerned look at her friend but quickly averts her eyes back to the road.

"Maybe I don't bring anyone around because you two are so embarrassing!"

"Hah! Embarrassing! You're just scared that guy'll be too sissy to deal with two brothers, eh?" The older nudges Tenzin in his arm who only looks away.

"You three better quit arguing or I'm pulling this car over and you three can walk." Izumi groans.

"Sorry, 'zumi." The three chime one after the other and sink back in their seats.

Back at home, you quickly say goodnight to your mother and run upstairs before she can interrogate you about what happened. You quietly close the door behind you and drop your bag onto your bed before falling backwards onto it yourself, a smile plastered across your face. You think that this is the nicest you've seen Lin act in the few short weeks you've known her. Maybe she's bearable.

You had been on dates before, but this one in particular made your heart race long after it was over. It left you dazed and feeling light on your feet, not able to stop thinking about the events that had just transpired. Screw your damn curfew... you wished you could have been able to lay locked in her arms for longer, bickering and talking about the smallest things while you watched the lights of the festival. You wanted to slowly peel her back and get to see what was beneath, learn the little things about her that she wouldn't tell even if her closest friends.

You quickly covered your face and groaned into your palms, the speed of your racing thoughts burning your cheeks. Catching a whiff of perfume, you pulled your hands back and held them in front of you. The sleeves of Lin's over-shirt began to slide down your forearms from the angle you bent your arms.

Crap, you had forgotten to give her back her shirt. Next time.

Next time couldn't come any quicker. A day passed by in a blur, then two and three. On the fifth, Bumi and the others filed into the diner loudly. They slid into their usual booth and you walk over with your notepad to jot down their orders.

"You're getting your sweat all over the chair." You laughed.

"Sorry... it's just so hot out there." Bumi groaned and leaned his head back, trying to expose his neck to the cool air conditioning.

"Maybe if you weren't trying so hard to run up and down the beach to impress those girls you wouldn't be so sweaty. This isn't baywatch." Izumi lectured him whilst flipping through the menu mindlessly, they frequented the diner so often Izumi didn't need to have a look through their menu to know what she wanted. None of them did. They always got a large plate of fries to share, milkshakes at night and soda in the morning. Tenzin was the only one who ever ordered ice water with a lemon in it though, in some way or another making jabs at the others for always getting such heavy beverages.

"But it totally worked!" Bumi smiled up at you. "Just the usual."

You wrote down their usual and turned to leave before Kya reached out to stop you. "Come order yourself a drink and join us!"

"I can't... my shift doesn't end for another 20 minutes."

"Then we'll wait." You smiled in appreciation and hurried off to finish the last of your work. You thank the other workers and make yourself your drink before clocking off and going to join your new friends at the table. Bumi makes a show of getting out so that you can sit in between him and Tenzin. 

“No Lin today?” You ask slowly, not wanting them to think that you had been expecting her to come in with them. That would be embarrassing. Just last week the two of you had been arguing over the counter over how headstrong she could be around her, enough to scare off the man that had been posted with his cup of coffee a few seats down. You didn’t want them to think of you as some lovesick girl over a no show. 

“Oh she didn’t tell you? She enrolled for the police academy couple of days ago, she’s been trying to get into better shape. For metal bending and whatnot.” Kya explains and dips her fry into the dollop of ketchup before popping it into her mouth. 

“But she’s in great shape.” You raised a brow. 

“Yeah, you would think so.” Bumi grins as the tips of your ears turn pink. You ignore his teasing remark and dig into the half finished fries. 

“If you want to see her again, she’ll probably be down at the station with her mother.” Tenzin reasons. He was the youngest out of the three siblings and always seemed to be made fun of by the other two for being such a stick in the mud, but you found that he was easy to approach and quite open minded given the context. 

“That won’t be necessary. I-I just had something of hers I needed to return. It’s no rush.” You excused quickly and looked down. The thought of going to see her at the station made the redness in your ears spread across your cheeks. That’s what people did when they dated. And they weren’t officially together yet were they? It was just one date! But it had ended so well and you were sure that Lin enjoyed it as much as you did. 

That night, you went about hanging up your freshly pressed work uniform in your closet before you sat at your vanity table and brushed through your hair in the dark, letting the moonlight illuminate your room. More than half a week has passed and Lin hasn’t shown her face at the diner or made any attempts to contact you and honestly— it angered you. How hard could it have been to drop by and say hello? It took everything in you not to jump to the worst conclusion… that Lin was using you for her own entertainment. The thought itself made you plop your brush down and fold your arms in front of you with a huff.

No. No that can’t be. Lin wasn’t the type of person to do that. You forced your guesstimates out of your head and groaned loudly, burying your face into your arms. This was so annoying. A part of you wished you could go back to before the date, when you didn’t have to spend so many hours of your day thinking about stupid Lin Beifong. That stupid grin she seemed to reserve only for you, her arms that pulled the fabric of any top she wore taut over her muscles… 

You turned your head slightly and rested your cheek against your arm with a sigh. Yeah, stupid Lin Beifong. 

You were startled back into a sitting position as something clacked against the window of your balcony softly. You waited for a few seconds before the second clack came, louder this time. The small pebble landed on your balcony and bounced away. Shit! 

You turned the lamp on your vanity table on and the soft, warm white light filled the dark corners of your room. Running to your balcony, you quietly opened the door and stepped outside into the cool night air. Down below was Lin looking up with a relieved smile. 

“Hey, I didn’t think you’d be asleep yet.” She greeted softly and tossed away the pebble in her hands. 

“Shhh! Quiet, you’re going to wake my mum up.” You whispered and tucked your hair behind your ears, flustered from all the noise she was making. If your mum found out she was here in the middle of the night, that would be the end of you. 

“Come down here and make me.” 

“What? Absolutely not. It’s so late.” Lin narrowed her eyes at your answer mischievously before kicking at the gravel gently. With a dramatically exaggerated sigh, she leaned against her car and spoke. 

“Theft is a serious crime.” 

You gripped the balcony ledges and groaned softly, shushing her again. You left her downstairs for a moment and grabbed her shirt from where you hung it before tip toeing down your hallway and down the stairs. The door creaked only slightly as you pulled it open just wide enough for you to slip through and clicked as it locked shut behind you. Crap, you would have to sneak in through the back door later. Lin was still leaning against her car when you approached her and held out her shirt. When she didn’t make any move to take it back, you scowled. 

“Well?”

“I was only kidding, I don’t need that back.” 

“Then you’ve wasted my time. I’m going back.” You rolled your eyes and turned around, bunching up the shirt in your hands. You squeak when Lin grabs your wrist and spins you right around to face her, her lips settling on a tired pout. 

“Aren’t you gonna ask me where I’ve been these past few days?”

“Tenzin already told me.” You pull your hands away from her but don’t bother to move away, enjoying the proximity. “You couldn’t have called?”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” At her answer, you raise a brow and she shakes her head with a sigh. Pushing off the car, she opens the door of the passenger seat before you can protest and motion for you to get in. You look back up to look at your house. Every single light in the house was off, including the light in your mother’s room. Groaning, you get in the car and fold the shirt in your hands as Lin gets into the driver seat. 

Neither of you speak as Lin drives you somewhere, it was only when she makes a hard turn down a dirt road that branched off the highway outside the city that you looked at her. “You’re not gonna take me somewhere desolate and kill me, are you?”

She laughs at your half serious question, but doesn’t give you an answer.

The car comes to a dusty stop. When the dust settles, you can see clearly that Lin had parked the car on top of a rocky cliff that overlooked Republic City. You had heard of this place before, of others in school coming here during the day to take their bets at jumping into the water below. Of course it was always the water benders that jumped first. 

From here, you couldn’t hear the busy sounds of the bustling city. It looked like something out of a postcard. 

“So you’re planning on what exactly? Pushing me off the cliff?” You joke as Lin undoes her seatbelt. 

“I wasn’t even going to leave the car.” She laughs and shifts her seat back a little to give herself more leg room. The cooling breeze dances into the space and causes a shiver to run up your spine once Lin cracks open the windows. The analog in the car reads 1:30 and you find yourself running through your mother’s daily schedule. She’ll be awake by 7:30 and downstairs by 8. Realistically, that’s way more than enough time for you to get home, but time seems to work differently when you’re alone with Lin. 

“...I’ve been trying to pull myself together before training starts. I know mum won’t cut me any slack in the academy.” She talks softly when she catches you mulling over your thoughts in an attempt to distract you. From her own family dynamics, she could guess that you were worrying over your mum. Plus... she did just kidnap you.

“I didn’t think you needed to get any fitter.” You frown, letting your eyes wander over her arms and shoulders. Defined. 

“You think I’m fit?”

“Oh shut it Beifong, what else are you if not fit?”

The compliment causes her to sit up in her seat and flash a bright red. Suddenly all those hours putting herself through torturous regimes was worth it, if not for her own benefit then to hear that you found her appealing. Your gaze darts down to her waist and her thighs before you quickly look out the window. 

“You’re... allowed to look, if you want.” Lin says at your attempts at looking anywhere but at her. You peak at her for just a second but your nerves quickly overtook any rational thought, making her laugh. 

She reaches out, the tips of her fingers gracing over yours before she scooped your hand into hers. Before you can even process what she’s asking, you’re being gently pulled over the middle compartment of the car. “Are you cold?” 

“W-What?” Your eyes grow wide as she helps you carefully over the gear shift and sit you on her toned lap stiffly. 

“Relax, I’m not gonna try anything.” She reassures you. The insinuation makes you glare up at her. It feels different from last time. The two of you were in public then. Despite the kiss growing more than chaste, it still felt innocent. This felt private, much more intimate. It made you squirm in her lap to find a position that wasn’t too suggestive. 

Lin’s hands gravitated above your thighs as you tried to get comfortable, but the persistent squirming soon became too much and she grabbed you by your waist long enough to still you. 

“Oi... stop moving already, or I’ll hold you down myself.” She warned you, her words holding no weight at all. Despite now sitting still, your face grew hotter from her words and you reached up to flick her on the nose as if disciplining a scratching cat. 

“Ow! You-“ 

“And here I thought you were actually being cute.”

“I was trying to be nice.” She insisted and reached up to rub her sore nose. Jesus, its like your fingers were made of metal. 

You flick away her hands and inspect the tip of her nose by tilting her head down to face you by her jaw. Just as you thought, nothing if not slightly pink from the cold. Dramatic. She shivers noticeably from your cold touch and reaches up to cup her hands over yours. 

Your breath catches in your throat as you catch the small shifts in her expression. Her brows release their frown and her jaw relaxes under your touch. The moonlight that bounces off the side view mirrors casts a soft glow over her features. Most importantly you think you’d be able to see those piercing green eyes even during the darkest, foggiest nights. 

“Lin...” You mumble, eliciting a soft hum in reply that you feel vibrating under your thumb. “I really wouldn’t mind you trying anything.”


	4. Ember Island

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beach episode. Also, unedited.

She releases one of your hands to card her fingers through your hair gently, settling at the back of your head to pull you forward. A warmth that challenges the cool summer night’s bite swallows you whole as you leaned forward to connect your lips. Her fingers curl around your hair, pushing you deeper into the kiss. Her skin holds heat like a furnace and it warms your fingertips, she could’ve fooled you into believing she was a firebender. At that very moment your mind conjures an image of Lin in the midst of winter. 

When you pull away, your eyes flutter open to meet hers, but she is too busy watching your lips. You gulp and force yourself to lower your head, hiding your face in the crook of her neck. You’d never admit it, but her gaze will never fail to make your heart race. 

She rests her cheek against your head and sighs contentedly, locking her arms around you. “What do you plan on doing after this?”

“Tomorrow? Nothing really...” 

“After this summer.” She clarifies and you bite the inside of your cheek. Lin’s fingers trace patterns or words onto the outside of your bare thigh as you tell her your plans of being a musician of sorts. Teaching it wouldn’t be too bad either. You tell her your fears of confronting your mother about what you really want to do, you know she would disapprove of your ambitions. Rightfully so, it would be difficult to live up to your family’s expectations. The prospects of following in her line of work makes you want to hide away. It makes the future seem bleak. You spare her the melodramatic details.

“I already know I’ll be in the force soon. I’ll be a metalbending officer just like my mum.” She adds after the short silence that indicates you had nothing else to say. 

“Is that what you want?” You tilt your head back to watch her speak. 

“What?”

“Is that what you want to do? Be a police officer?” The question itself surprises her, Lin lets it run itself through her head a few times as she tries to gather her thoughts. She had grown up fascinated by her mother. Toph had been the star in her life for as long as she knew, following her only seemed natural. Now that she was confronted with the question, she didn’t know what else she would do if not be an officer. 

“I want to help people.” 

The answer satisfies you and you rest your head onto her chest, listening for her heartbeat. You weren’t a very strong bender, but you imagine this is what seismic sensers must hear. Steady, strong heartbeats that march on. 

Lin stirs awake when the deafening chorus of cicadas swells in the bushes nearby, like a rooster calling for the day to start. She blinks away the sleep in her eyes to gaze down at you, peacefully curled up in her arms. Your hair tickled her collarbones and the underside of her chin, but she didn’t care. She can’t remember at what point the two of you fell asleep, but she’s acutely aware that you need to be home soon and so does she. Suyin’s never gonna stop berating her with questions. 

“Wake up.” She mumbles groggily. When you don’t move, she squeezes you in her arms gently and press a kiss to the top of your head. You groan and cover your face as you’re forced awake. “I can’t drive you home if you’re sitting on my lap.”

Your eyes shoot open and you quickly sit up. Right, home. “Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”

“I wasn’t aware I was your alarm clock, sorry Princess.” She leans back to give you space as you climb back over to your own seat and pull your seatbelt on.

“If you insist on calling me that stupid nickname I’m gonna start treating you like my personal guard.” 

“I could do with the experience.”

“Start driving or you’re fired.” You look out the window just as you hear her chuckle and start the engine. She mutters something incoherent under her breath as she shifts the car into reverse to return to the main road. 

You have her stop the car at the gate of your estate and quickly unfasten your seatbelt. If your mum is awake, you could probably manage to sneak past her and quickly slide yourself into bed before she sends the maid to fetch you for breakfast. She wouldn’t ever have to know about your little rendezvous. 

“Thank you again.” You say softly, leaning over to speak to her through the open window. The early morning air is damp and smells sweetly of dew. Now you have another reason to enjoy the mornings. 

“I think Izumi might be planning a little trip for all of us to her family’s vacation home next week.” She says. You had heard Izumi briefly mention it in conversation before, about the big estate on Ember Island that they frequented less and less often nowadays. “Will you come with us?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to tolerate you for days at a time, so let me think about it.” You teased but smiled. She rolls her eyes as you force yourself away from her car, already beginning to walk around to your backdoor to sneak in. The sound of Lin’s engine disappears gradually as she drives off. 

The sun is still high in the sky when they arrive.

Izumi’s family beach house is dusty and hauntingly empty. Light spills inside as they go about flinging open curtains and throwing open doors to let the house breathe for the first time in months.

“Hey! Why do you get to pick a room first?!” Tenzin yells after Bumi and races the older boy upstairs, leaving the girls at the front door to haul in the luggage. Tenzin tries his hardest to appear the most mature out of his siblings, but it’s not surprising to find him to be the youngest out of the 3. 

“Seriously?” Kya groans as she drags her luggage through the front door. 

“Would one of you please come to the basement with me? I need to turn on the electricity.” Izumi asks, fanning at herself with her hand. 

“I’ll go.” You volunteer with a smile, dropping off your carry bag on the floor next to the boys’ luggage. There were a few reasons you so enthusiastically volunteered to go with Izumi, one of the main reasons being the tiresome trip to Ember Island. 

The entire drive up to the house was spent bickering between you and Lin and the silence that came in between was painfully awkward. The others had made the mistake of making Lin drive and giving you the map. Neither of you could agree on the right directions, but nobody else had the guts to tell you two off. Even Bumi didn’t dare make a peep. Two powerful forces clashing against one another. 

Lin grumbled as they disappeared somewhere deep in the house, leaving the last two to haul the bags from the car inside. Luckily, the boys had come down to help with the rest of the load. At least Lin could be frustrated in peace while the others talked and unpacked. 

She had not meant to argue with you the whole ride there. It was just difficult to see eye to eye at times and the two of you were too stubborn to give it up. Being around the others only made it worse. It was childish, she could admit it now. 

What were the two of you anyways? You had been physical with each other a few times, sure. But was it official? Did you even want it to be official? Could she call you her... her girlfriend?

The living room suddenly felt ten times hotter and she was sure it wasn’t from going back and forth from the house to the car in 38 degree heat. Lin pushed her hair back, her fingers tucking her hair behind her ears as she did so to cool herself down. There was no use thinking about that right now when things between the two of you were tense. She sighs and plops down on the plush sofa. 

When you and Izumi return, they flip the lights on and pick up their bags from the floor. 

“There’s plenty of room for everybody, unless anyone wants to bunk with someone else?” Izumi isn’t very subtle as her gaze flickers between you and Lin, who are trying to look anywhere but at each other. “Alright then… separate rooms it is. We can meet back here once everyone’s unpacked.”

Lin can’t help but to glower when you link your arm around Izumi’s to pull her upstairs, no doubt to have her show you to a fine room. She knows it’s unreasonable. The two of you were close friends and Izumi would never do that to her, but she can’t help the aching in her chest and the pounding in her head. 

“My god, you two are sickening to watch.” Kya complains when the two of you are out of earshot. 

“What?” 

“You heard me. If you can spend a whole hour yelling at each other, I’m sure you can take 2 minutes to kiss and make up.” 

“No one is kissing or making up, don’t be childish.” She unlatches her sweaty body from the couch and slings her bag over her shoulder, carrying its weight effortlessly. She had managed to fit everything she could need into two carry bags. 

“I’m childish?” Kya snorts, but doesn’t press on. She’s known her long enough to know that there was nothing else she could do but wait for Lin to budge. She follows Lin upstairs and down the familiar hallways. This wouldn’t be the first time they had vacationed here together. But it would be the first time they would be here without any parents breathing down their backs. Even Suyin had opted out of this summer’s trip to mess around with her own circle back home. 

“Just don’t leave it for too long, okay?” Kya gives her arm a soft squeeze before she’s gone into her own room. 

Lin diligently unpacks to the sounds of cicadas and the soft lapping of the ocean nearby through her open window. For a brief moment, she thinks she can finally have some peace and quiet. Until she hears a muffled thud and the boys laughing about something incoherently. Nevermind. 

She doesn’t have much to personalise the bare room but Lin pulls her wallet out of her pocket and picks out a torn strip of photo paper from within. She carefully wedges the photograph into her vanity mirror and nods in satisfaction. That will do. 

You are the last one to join the others downstairs. They don’t seem to mind, too busy discussing what was first on their itinerary of things to do and see down at the beach. If not for Izumi ushering the rest of you out of the front door, all of you would have spent the entire evening just talking and never doing. 

The walk down is long but scenic, the path adorned by tall palm trees and native Fire Nation flowers. You make sure to avoid Lin who walks at the very back of the group. You had already decided to try and talk to her sooner or later. Right now she looks as though she could kill you if you even bat an eyelash in her direction, but you guess that’s the impression she always seems to give off. Besides, she seems more inclined to talk to Kya. Not wanting to start another petty argument, you stayed glued to Izumi’s side even when helping everyone unroll the towels and pitch up a single umbrella. 

The beating sun becomes almost unbearable when the others drop off their things to go splash about the freezing water. You join them for a while, laughing when Kya nearly scares Tenzin into peeing himself by wrapping a limb-like tendril of water around his ankle and tugging gently. When you decide to head back for a short break, Lin is still sitting with her arm hanging loosely off of her knee. You wonder just how she manages to look so divine when she’s just relaxing. The worst part is she probably will never begin to understand the effect she has on you. The shirt she wears is nearly paper thin and if you looked for long enough, you could catch a glimpse of the dark swim suit she wore underneath. Only if you stared, though. Not that you would ever do that. Of course not. 

You sit under the shade with your legs tucked beneath you, spreading sunscreen over your skin generously. You tried to occupy as little of the shade as you could. From beside you, Lin shifts slightly and clears her throat, aching to say something. She raked her mind for something to say, but came up blank. 

The beach was far from empty. Everywhere you looked, herds of teenagers and families with little children laid in the sun and swam in the sea. Ember Island was especially popular with tourists and filthy rich young people in the summer. 

“You missed a spot on your back.” Lin grumbled without even looking in your direction. You reach back and try to spread the lotion onto the centre of your back, but found it hard to reach anywhere higher than your lower back or lower than your shoulder blades. What a weird sunburn that would have been. 

After a while of struggling to reach, you finally look at Lin with a pleading pout. She sighs and wordlessly beckons you over, dusting the sand off of the palm of her hand. You turn your back to her and feel every muscle in your body tense when her fingers smear the dollop of lotion you had so clumsily swiped onto your back earlier. 

It’s too quiet. You wish your head was buried deep in the sand when Lin massages upwards towards your shoulders, her fingertips just centimetres short of your sensitive neck. Her touch is gone before you could even process the mind numbing feeling. 

“That’s a nice swimsuit.” She compliments, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm. If this were a pro bending tournament, the host would be announcing a round 2. 

“Thank you, I bought it just for the occasion.” You smile and reach up to finger the shoulder strap of your swimsuit. 

“Shouldn’t you be going back for another swim, then? ‘Don’t waste your money’ and all that.” 

“Maybe I wanted to try to spend some time with someone.” You grit your teeth. 

“Who, Izumi?” And that’s when Lin knew she shouldn’t have been stoking the fire. 

“You know sometimes you can be such a… ugh.” You groan and stand up, stepping over everyone’s belongings to walk away. You didn’t even have the energy to argue and you didn’t want to make a scene in front of all these people. 

“Where are you going?” She raised a brow, getting up to follow instinctively. Lin feels as though they’ve been here before. 

“Away from you until you figure out why you even invited me here in the first place!” 

From the water, Bumi calls for the others’ attention and nods to the shore. “Aw man, now we have to carry their things back too!” 

“And they’re still at it, maybe we shouldn’t have left them alone?” Tenzin hums as he watches. He’s always been argumentative himself so he could at least understand why and how the two of you came to this. 

“I have a feeling they’ll work it out eventually, they’ve come this far.” Izumi shrugs. “Is it weird to say they remind me of my parents…?”


	5. A Lesson In Consent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your eyes were glassed over and your lips were parted, letting out soft breaths as you pulled away to stare down at Lin’s lips. They were so soft and plump you knew you had to taste them. You strained your neck to lean forward and capture her lips, but whined when you were pinned down to the bed by a strong hand instead.
> 
> “Do you know what you’re asking for?”
> 
> TW alcohol, light smut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEAAAASE it’s literally 2AM in the morning and this is unedited. Smut?? Next chapter maybe??? 
> 
> TW alcohol, light smut.

Chap 5. Never Ever Getting Rid of Me

The two of you realise too little too late that neither of you were familiar with the way back up to the house. After a while, every path starts to look the same and the soon little map you had made in your head on the way down earlier seems useless. You stop and internally groan when you come across the same sign that said ‘BEACH 700m’ that you’re sure you’ve passed at least twice before. 

Lin makes use of the break you take to fill the gap between your strides and stand next to you. “Are we lost?”

“We’re not lost.” You snapped and crossed your arms. It’s the first thing you’ve said to her since you’ve stormed off. Lin’s glad you’ve finally decided to stop ignoring her at least. 

“Okay fine, we’re not lost. But it is getting dark soon and we’ve been walking for ages. So if you could lead us back home now that’d be really nice.” She yawned and reached up to scratch a mosquito bite on her arm. You took a moment to look up and down the path, it didn’t make any sense at all. You remembered it to be a straight line with a single fork somewhere down the path, and you were extra careful not to go the wrong way. It felt as though the island was making a maze of itself to throw you off. 

The idea of being stuck in the woods after sun down was enough to fuel your paranoia. It’s not the dark itself that scared you, but the unfamiliarity of the area. Who knows who are what frequented these pathways at night. 

“W-Well don’t you know the way?” 

“It should just be a straight shot from here.” She frowned and looked around. It didn’t make much sense to her too. 

“We’ve been walking in a straight line this whole time!” 

“Then let’s just keep going. We’ll get there eventually.” She brushed past you to keep walking but stopped when your hand curled around her forearm.

“Wait, what if we get even more lost...?” The shake in your voice melted her quicker than the afternoon sun could ever hope to. She wished she were more like Kya or Izumi. She was sure they would know exactly what to say to calm you down and even put a smile on your face. It felt so natural to them.

“We’re not lost, remember?” She slid her arm from your grip so you could hold her hand instead. The little action was enough to send both of you blushing like mad. She wills herself to look forward and start walking again before you could catch the red in her cheeks. Smooth, she thinks, but at what cost?

She is acutely aware of the way you would inch closer to her every time a twig would snap or a bush would rustle nearby, till your side was pressed against her arm and your grip on her hand was vice like. She thinks she should make some teasing comment about you being scared, but isn’t sure if she should after the way you two have been acting all day. 

The sun soon sinks and you’re not able to see through the trees anymore. The two of you are surrounded by darkness. You almost crush her hand in yours when the two of you come up on the same sign, ‘BEACH 700m’. 

“Are you trying to break my hand?” She complains when you stop abruptly from a particularly loud rustling in the bush and squeeze her hand.

“I’m sorry, it just feels like something out of a ghost story. We’ve been walking in a straight line... how are we back here again? I shouldn’t have walked off, now you’re lost too.” You ramble on, your voice getting quieter with each word. Lin wordlessly lets you vent out your frustrations for a moment. Her chest hurts seeing you so shaken up, but she tries not to let her own fears show on her face.

“Don’t apologise,” She muttered when you would only look straight down, too chilled to move. “I shouldn’t have pushed you like that. I get really irritable sometimes so.... I’m sorry about that.” 

“Yeah, clearly.” You roll your eyes, distracted from the situation for a moment when you think back on today. “But I like you even when you’re being an idiot.” 

On the beach today, you found that you enjoyed being by her side even when you were arguing in the car or ignoring each other. You just wanted to be next to her no matter what. She was more reserved about her private life around the others and could be withdrawn and stubborn, but you understood. She just showed her affections differently around other people and you didn’t mind at all. If anything, it made the moments you shared together in private mean much more. 

“I’ll try to be less abrasive.” She reaches up with her other hand and twirls a lock of your hair around her finger before moving it out of your face. “You’re a little scary when you’re angry, you know?” 

“I get it from my mum.” You mumbled, still not looking up at her. You can’t help but feel that you’ll see something scary if you tried to look around you, and your eyes remain glued to the tip of your shoes. 

This time Lin wishes she were Toph. Her mum wouldn’t be scared in this situation, she would just use her seismic sense to map out the area and find the way home. It was a skill she had yet to polish. 

“What’re you doing?” You look at her in confusion when she leans down to slip off her shoes and plant her feet firmly on the ground. 

“Trying to get us home.” She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. The breeze makes it easier for her to ‘see’ the shape of the nearby trees and the marching ants on the dirt. Most importantly, she could make out you standing right in front of her, shaking slightly with each exhale. 

Once when training with her mother, she had learnt that powerful bending could come from equally powerful emotions like anger or grief. When she sees you shaking like a leaf, Lin is filled with the clawing, overwhelming desire to protect or comfort you(she hasn’t given herself time to come up with a word to sum up this feeling yet). It fills her to the brim and she aches to step forward and pull you into her arms. Suddenly, her vision expands like someone had just turned a light on behind her eyelids and it feels as though she can see for miles. She can feel your heartbeat as if it was her own. 

You let out a short, breathy laugh when Lin’s eyes flutter open and searches your face for a moment. She looks shocked or rather, awestruck. 

“Lin?” Your voice anchors her back and she blinks away the expression she wore earlier. 

“I think I know the way.” 

“Shouldn’t we be waiting for the two of them to get back?” Kya asks as she rests her chin on the palm of her hand. They were all seated on the front deck watching Bumi toss some meat over a grill that was placed in the middle of the round table. Meat is a luxury in a place like Ember Island, but the people who visited never had problems affording such luxuries. 

“What? A growing boy needs to eat.” He defended himself. 

“How old do you think you are...?” Tenzin massaged the bridge of his nose. 

Bumi was already half way through cooking the food and half way through telling one of his bizarre stories when the two return, standing much closer than before but still not looking at each other. 

“We’re sorry we’re so late, we got lost.” You apologised profusely, especially to Izumi who seemed the most concerned. She looked down at you with soft brown eyes before making eye contact with Lin. She guessed there was nothing to be worried about if you were with Lin the whole time. Some time alone together might have been just what the two of you needed. 

“How’d you get lost? It’s a straight shot from the beach.” Tenzin questions. 

“The island’s got a mind of its own, Ten. If it doesn’t want you found, you could go missing for days.” Bumi warns, waving his chopsticks in the younger man’s face. 

A chill runs up your spine. Lin picks it up and holds back the urge to tease you in front of the others. 

“Shut up, y-you’re gonna scare the girls.” 

“Yeah, ‘the girls’ are gonna get scared alright.” The oldest snickers and scoots over, patting the seat next to him in invitation. You rush over and sit right by him, only barely paying attention to Lin who follows and sits next to you. 

Bumi uses a pair of scissors to cut the cooked meat to bite size pieces, placing a portion onto your bowl of rice with a grin. You almost feel sorry watching Tenzin avoid any of the meat and choose to place your enoki mushrooms in his bowl with your chopsticks. 

“You don’t want any of your mushrooms?” He raised a brow. 

“I have a lot of meat already.” You smiled and shovelled more onto his bowl. He doesn’t complain but thanks you, digging into his dinner.

The table settles into a peaceful routine with everybody taking turns tending to the grill and talking amongst each other. Even Tenzin manages to laugh along at some points. A full belly lifts everyone’s spirits.

Lin gently takes the tongs from Izumi before she can volunteer to serve you some of the food. Having helped feed and raise Suyin as soon as she was old enough to, Lin naturally begins to cut up some grilled meat and place it on top of your rice. You don’t stop her, only watching as she talks quietly enough for you to hear. 

No matter how hard she tries to appear dismissive, she could be so caring for the people around her without even knowing it. 

“You don’t need to be so charitable. Eat up or you’ll be exhausted.” She mumbles. Your snort makes the blush from earlier return to her face and she shoves the tongs into the next person’s hands; a confused Izumi. “What’s so funny, huh?”

“Nothing, nothing.” You wrapped a piece of meat in a leaf of lettuce and hold it up to her mouth with your chopsticks. “Have some.”

“Didn’t I just tell you to eat-“ When she tries to speak, you carefully stuff the little lettuce wrap into her mouth and laugh as she grumbles through the food. 

“Don’t chew with your mouth open Lin.” Kya nearly doubles over when she swallows hard and glares half heartedly. 

“Oh, wait! ‘Zumi and I picked up something on the way back!” Kya excuses herself from the table and disappears into the house for a moment. She reappears with a couple of bottles and places them on the table before the rest of you. 

“Alcohol? Seriously?” Lin rolls her eyes. 

“Don’t be a buzzkill Linny, we’re all legal aren’t we? We should celebrate our first night here.”

“And like rubbing alcohol, liquor can heal internal wounds too. Like... blocked chakras?” Bumi reasons.

“That’s the stupidest fucking-“ 

Kya isn’t listening to the others banter when she pops open the first bottle and fills a few cups. You spin one of the bottles around and try to read it’s content information. At the very bottom, the bottle reads 40% alcohol and you try not to gulp. The last time you drank was when your mother let you have half a glass of wine, and that was heavily diluted with water! So no, drinking was not your thing. You despised the taste and your face felt hot just from having a few little sips. 

The last thing you wanted was to be red in the face and making a fool of yourself in front of the others for the rest of the night. 

“—and one for you.” Kya placed a shot glass in front of you and winked. 

“I don’t know... I can’t stand the taste, it burns my throat too.” You trace the rim of the shot glass and lean down to take a whiff of the alcohol. The strong smell makes your eyes squeeze shut for a moment. Lin is watching with a scowl. She knew you were old enough to make that decision for yourself. She just didn’t want to see you get sick like Bumi and Kya (and surprisingly, Izumi) have countless times when they were illegally drinking. 

“And here’s the trick.” She takes your empty glass and dumps the shot into it before filling it to the top with the grape juice you had been drinking for dinner. She nods to the concoction with a smirk.  
You hesitantly lift the glass to your lips and take a big sip of it. It tastes sweet, just like grape juice, save for the kick you get at the back of your tongue and the warmth you feel as it travels down to your stomach. 

“I don’t taste any of it.” You say in awe before taking another sip.

“Atta girl.” Kya grins and knocks back her shot with ease. You’d be embarrassed at how sensitive you were to the taste if you weren’t so amazed with her. 

“You don’t have to have a lot, just take it easy okay?” Izumi’s smile is warm and comforting as always. You assure her that you’ll stop soon enough, but she promises that they’re there to help take care of each other even if someone got carried away. 

After the clean up, Lin follows behind as the others migrate to the spacious living room. She isn’t shy of her own drinks, taking one occasionally when she felt like it. She subconsciously keeps count of who’s had how many. 

Unsurprisingly, Bumi has hogged a whole bottle to himself and was laying across the sofa with his arm hanging to the floor. Tenzin decides around 10 that he’s had enough of the others and takes himself upstairs despite everyone else trying to get him to stay. Something about an early bedtime. 

Izumi has had 4 shots, maybe a 5th that she didn’t catch when she was watching the others. She’s sitting calmly and watching with an amused smile at everyone else.

Kya. Oh god she can’t even remember how much Kya has had. Her miscount could have been chalked up to her own tipsiness. Or maybe Kya’s just had so many she’s lost count. Lin can’t remember anymore. She’s a very affectionate drunk, going around giving everyone wet kisses on the head and cheeks. Lin stops trying to shove her off after the second time she makes her rounds. 

And lastly, you. You were the hardest to keep track of, since you mixed your share with a decent amount of juices. She wouldn’t be surprised if you had more than Kya. But she can’t stay grumpy even if she tried to. Not when your cheeks were akin to a cherry and your smile wider than it’s been since she watched you splashing about with the others down at the beach. 

When the old clock chimes at midnight, you blink awake. Or at least you think your eyes were closed? It felt as though someone had cut out a small chunk of your memory, or you had simply and unexpectedly time jumped to the future. One minute you were dancing with Kya and Bumi, the next you’re being pulled up by the arms while you tried to gain your senses. A familiar yet faint smell makes you try harder to blink away the disorientation.

“Lin?” Her name leaves your mouth before you can stop yourself. Your head feels heavy and hot with a heat that clings to your face and neck. You hear a grunt in reply and immediately reach out for her, wrapping your arms around her waist and resting your head on her shoulder.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Kya and Izumi are putting Bumi to bed. I hope they don’t drop him down the stairs.”

“Bed sounds good.” You feel her stiffen in your arms when you nuzzle your face into the crook of her neck. Her perfume smells strongest at her neck, you can’t seem to pull away. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m taking you to your room.” She tries to pry you off, chuckling softly when your arms stay firmly latched around her. After some convincing, she manages to have you hold her arm while she guides you upstairs. She whispers to be careful when you sway on your feet, barely able to walk in a straight line. 

At your door, she mumbles a goodnight and smiles as you lean against the door frame with a pout. 

“Did you have fun tonight?” You asked her in a hushed tone. You look up at her when she doesn’t answer, only to see that cute blush on her cheeks again. Is that the alcohol? Better question, has she always looked so irresistibly adorable like that? 

“It was fun, I guess.” She said sheepishly. 

“I’m really glad.” You hummed and ventured into your dark room. You kick off your shoes and sit at the edge of the bed, thankful to sober you for putting your hair up before you overheated from the drunken flush. It’s when you start to pull down your skirt that Lin quickly turns around and faces the other way. 

“You don’t have to look away.” Maybe you haven’t sobered up as much as you thought you had, but the courage that runs through your veins is making you much bolder. 

You had kissed before and held each other before, but this would be the first time she would see you undressed. You’re not surprised when she sarcastically retorts.

“You want me to look?” 

“Isn’t that why you’re here?” You teased as you finally kicked your skirt to the shadows. 

“I came to make sure you got to your door without accident.”

“You didn’t have to follow me into my room?” You would laugh at the way her jaw clenches, but a spell of fatigue makes you yawn. This, you think, would be the worst part of drinking. The come down when your body is a furnace of its own and your eyelids so heavy you have to fight to stay awake. 

When Lin peaks over her shoulder and catches sight of tears prickling the corners of your eyes from a big yawn, she caves and turns to help you. Her eyes are trained to the floor as she makes her way to the window and cracks it open to allow the breeze in. 

“Come on, get in.” She sighs as she untucks your duvet from the sides of your bed. 

“Is too hot for that.” You complain but crawl up the bed so your head can rest on the pillows. The bed is bigger than the one at home. It feels much lonelier without your favourite blankets and pillows to surround you. 

“Goodnight.” Lin mumbles, making you open your eyes and seize her by the shirt gently. 

“Stay.” 

“I can’t, I’ll-“ 

“Are you scared...?” You sit up despite the dizziness and the spots in your vision. All you cared about was making Lin stay. You tugged her down by her shirt and relished in the surprised gasp as she fell on top of you, only barely managing to keep herself up by propping up a knee and putting her hands on the bed frame above you. 

You leaned up on your forearms to push your noise into the pulse point on her neck, seeking the comforting perfume you smelled earlier. She gasps again, gripping the headboard tightly as your warm breath graced her skin. The sound makes you press your thighs together, trapping her knee in between. 

Lin feared that if she wasn’t careful enough, the two of you would take it too far. She didn’t want you to regret anything, if either of you would even remember this by tomorrow morning.

“Please stay.” Your mind was hazy. All 5 of your senses were flooded by Lin. The heat from her body did little to help you, but you craved the feeling of her skin against yours too much for you to care. You had never wanted anyone so bad, which felt weird to even think about since you weren’t the most experienced in this field. Anything further than light groping and hickeys was foreign to you. 

Lin’s breath caught in her throat when she looked down to see you desperately trying to unbutton your shirt. Your back was arched just slightly to reveal every inch of skin that you were hastily uncovering. How was she supposed to resist when you were so eagerly pushing yourself against her body? When your hips scooted down lower to try press your damp warmth against her knee? 

Your eyes were glassed over and your lips were parted, letting out soft breaths as you pulled away to stare down at Lin’s lips. They were so soft and plump you knew you had to taste them. You strained your neck to lean forward and capture her lips, but whined when you were pinned down to the bed by a strong hand instead.

“Do you know what you’re asking for?” Lin’s brows were knitted together, a conflicting look etched on her pretty features. 

“You, I’m asking for you...” You huffed out and tried to lift yourself up again, but Lin only squeezed you down tighter. 

“And do you know what exactly that means?” 

You found yourself getting irritated at the questions. You just wanted to be with her for the night and serve the ache in your lower region before it got unbearable. 

“I’m not a child, I know what it is.” You glare up at her. Just when you thought you had the upper hand on Lin and could make her feel just how you wanted her to. You shiver when the hand on your shoulder traces up your neck and swipes a thumb over your bottom lip. 

“Then you should know I can’t take this any further.” 

You pull your bottom lip between your teeth in frustration. Her eyes flicker down to your lips and you nearly lose your mind all over again when you see her gulp. 

“You can’t imagine the things you make me want to do.” And now that the moment is finally here, she knows she has to wait for it to be right and so do you. 

Your head rests against the pillows once again and you turn your head to avert your gaze. She took the opportunity to lean down and linger her lips over the shell of your ear to speak. 

“Be patient. Can you do that for me?” 

You shakily nod your head and feel her smile against your ear. She pulls away and lays next to you, tugging you into her arms. If anything, you were probably better off sleeping anyways. You couldn’t imagine passing out in the middle of something. 

She doesn’t bother worrying about who might see her leaving from your room in the morning. She just focuses on your breathing and the way you moulded yourself into her arms as if it were second nature. When you’re already deep asleep, Lin takes her time to think about just what exactly she would do for you. She feels a semblance of comradery towards Tenzin for how he must feel for Pema. She decides for the second time that day that she would do almost anything for you, no matter how tense things gets.


End file.
